Dario Croccolo

Fatigue Life Improvement of Holed Plates Made of an Innovative Medium C Micro-Alloyed Steel by Local Plastic Deformation

This paper deals with the influence of local plastic deformation on the fatigue strength of holed plates manufactured with an innovative medium-carbon micro-alloyed steel with high silicon content (hi-Si MCM). Local deformation around the hole is achieved by means of an interference fitted pin. The effect was investigated both experimentally and numerically. Microstructural characterization, hardness, and tensile tests were carried out first. Tension–tension fatigue tests were performed under two different conditions: open-hole (OH) specimens and specimens with a press fitted pin with 0.6% nominal specific interference. A 2D elastic–plastic finite element analyses (FEAs) investigation was done as well, in order to analyze the stress field in the vicinity of the hole. The stress history and distribution in the neighborhood of the hole indicate a significant reduction of the stress amplitude produced by the external loading (remote stress) when a residual stress field is generated by the pin insertion. In fact, experimental stress-life (SN) curves pointed out increased fatigue strength of the interference fit specimens, compared with the OH ones. Finally, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses of the fractured fatigue specimens were carried out, in order to investigate the mechanisms of failure and to relate them to the peculiar microstructural features that characterize this innovative steel.

Design of a cutting head for a crosscutting machine

The present paper deals with the structural analysis and the re-design of a cutting head for an automatic crosscutting machine. The machine is already marketed, and can process rectangular section wooden slats. The principal goal of this work is to develop a new mechanism capable of enhancing the productivity of the machine by around 80%. The work has been carried out by means of both numerical finite element analysis tools and analytical models. In fact, a secondary aim of the research is to define an analytical model which can capture the dynamic behavior of the device: this tool will be helpful to the design engineer in order to save costs associated with the development of future head designs.

A user-friendly computational algorithm for the structural analysis of wrapping machine rotating rings

Wrapping machines usually consist of a two- or a four-column frame, supporting a huge rotating ring, connected to a pre-stretch unit with film coil carrier. Stiffness is a key point of packaging machines, since it is strictly related to the accuracy of the wrapping task. It depends on the stiffness of the frame, which can be achieved by the four-column architecture, and on the ring constraint system. As a consequence, the ring structures are usually highly statically indeterminate. Nowadays, there is an increasing demand for higher rotational speeds and more reduced operation times. Therefore, an accurate structural analysis of the ring, considering its actual loading and constraints is more and more important. The structural analysis of the rotating ring is treated by many references; however, such a statically indeterminate constraining makes this problem highly complicated. The goal of this paper consists in the development of a general and original computational algorithm for the structural analysis of rotating rings. The results are collected in a user-friendly way in terms of normalized internal loads, so that they can be of a great help even for not expert users. This model has been experimentally validated and easily applied to case studies and optimization tasks.

A numerical and experimental approach to the design and failure analysis of a pinion shaft for wheel loaders

The present paper deals with the failure analysis and consequent design tips regarding a pinion shaft belonging to a differential gear for offroad machinery applications, namely wheel loaders. The motivations of the study arise from some in-field failures, which resulted in the fracture of the pinion shaft, originated at an external groove located at the end of its threaded portion. The issue has been tackled by means of analytical, numerical and experimental tools. The observed failures have been demonstrated to be due to the in-service loosening of a ring nut, whose function is to preload the tapered rolling bearings, which support the shaft. The weak points of the shaft design are highlighted and possible approaches to overcome the observed occurrence are presented at the end of the study.

Effect of the Engagement Ratio and of Temperature on the Shear Strength of Epoxy Adhesive Bonded Aluminum Alloy Pin-and-Collar Joints

ABSTRACT Epoxy adhesives are widely used in industrial applications, as they are particularly suitable to bond many types of materials. Conversely, possible drawbacks may arise from the use under high temperature, which is likely to imply a drop of mechanical properties. Previous research indicated that the Engagement Ratio (ER), namely, the ratio between the joint length and its coupling diameter, has an effect on the shear strength of an epoxy adhesive applied to steel adherents. Moreover, the shear strength decreases for increasing temperature, with loss of any ER effect beyond the glass transition temperature. The present research is focused on EN AW 7075-T6 alloy adherents that are widely applied in lightweight constructions. The study has involved LOCTITE 9466 with experimental tests on Pin-And-Collar samples with ER varying from 0.4 to 1.7 over four levels (10 replications). The effect of temperature has also been assessed, by campaigns at room temperature and at 40°C, 60°C and 80°C. The results, also interpreted by an analytical model, indicate that keeping ER around 0.9–1 is advisable to optimise strength. Temperature leads to a shear strength drop, to a loss of ER effectivity and to higher scattering, when exceeding the glass transition temperature of the adhesive.

Analysis of Threaded Connections for Differential Gear Pinions

The present paper deals with the failure analysis of a pinion shaft belonging to a differential gear for offroad machinery applications, namely wheel loaders. The motivations of the study arise from some in-field failures, which resulted in the fracture of the pinion shaft, originated at an external groove located at the end of its threaded portion. The issue has been tackled by means of analytical, numerical and experimental tools. The observed failures have been demonstrated to be due to the in-service loosening of a ring nut, whose function is to preload the tapered rolling bearings, which support the shaft.Copyright

Experimental Characterization and Finite Element Modeling of Film Capacitors for Automotive Applications

As electronics keeps on its trend towards miniaturization, increased functionality and connectivity, the need for improved reliability capacitors is growing rapidly in several industrial compartments, such as automotive, medical, aerospace and military. Particularly, recent developments of the automotive compartment, mostly due to changes in standards and regulations, are challenging the capabilities of capacitors in general, and especially film capacitors. Among the required features for a modern capacitor are the following: (i) high reliability under mechanical shock, (ii) wide working temperature range, (iii) high insulation resistance, (iv) small dimensions, (v) long expected life time and (vi) high peak withstanding voltage. This work aims at analyzing the key features that characterize the mechanical response of the capacitor towards temperature changes. Firstly, all the key components of the capacitor have been characterized, in terms of strength and stiffness, as a function of temperature. These objectives have been accomplished by means of several strain analysis methods, such as strain gauges, digital image correlation (DIC) or dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). All the materials used to manufacture the capacitor, have been characterized, at least, with respect to their Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio. Then, a three-dimensional finite element model of the whole capacitor has been set up using the ANSYS code. Based on all the previously collected rehological data, the numerical model allowed to simulate the response in terms of stress and strain of each of the capacitor components when a steady state thermal load is applied. Due to noticeable differences between the thermal expansion coefficients of the capacitor components, stresses and strains build up, especially at the interface between different components, when thermal loads are applied to the assembly. Therefore, the final aim of these numerical analyses is to allow the design engineer to define structural optimization strategies, aimed at reducing the mechanical stresses on the capacitor components when thermal loads are applied.Copyright